Bottle unloader



June 16, 1931. R. E. MILLER 1,810,432

BOTTLE UNLOADER F'i'led Aug. 16l 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 dtml Filed Aug. 16, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 @Hunan June 16, 1931'. R. E. MILLER 1,810,432

BOTTLE UNLOADER Filed Aug. 16, 1926 .4 Sheets-Sheet 5 R. E. MILLER BOTTLE UNLOADER Filed Aug.

June 16, 1931.

16,. 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 vPatented.une 1.6, 193i umrrm STATES f ROBERT, EUGENE MIELEEpoF BAINEEIDGE, eEoRGiA, AssiGNoE yTo THE VMUJEER, MANUFACTURING co., or EArNBEIneE, GEORGIA BOTTLE UNLOADER yapplication fined 'August is, i926. semi No; iaao.`

Y j This invention relates to a bottle unleader.

'lao

It, `i'nor'e particularly bottle unloader.

relates to an automatic.

An object ioflthe invention lis to provide van apparatusfor automatically taking bottles f'romthe` bottle chain-cups ofk aibottle sterilizing or other machine and for placing them on a carrier chain or belt without the necessity of the bottles being tonchedby the operyators hands.

. yAnother object is to provide an apparatus for automatically unloading bottles, which is easily operatedand` installed and which comprises, relatively fewr'partsf.y y

.Otherk objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

An embodiment vof the invention is illustrated in they accompanying drawings; in

which,

Figure 1 i ing apparatus. Y l Figure 2 is an end elevation looking toward the left hand end of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end elevation looking toward the right hand end ofrFigure 1. 1 j

Figure A: is aV transverse vertical section taken on line 4 4 of Figure 5. Y top, 'plan view of theapparatus. Y f ,Y 'i

' ln the di'erent figuresA of the drawing s,1 indicatesvl a row ofitlting boxes, each having slidably mounted fingers 2,v adapted to engage the neck of arfbottle, as indicated in Figiires and 3.` The bottles are brought to the unloading apparatus,fheld with their necks' down in cups 3, the cups beingcarried by-aconveyor', from a' washer or sterili'zer, and moving in the direction of thearrcw in Figure 5. The present invention is a n'fiachine which takes the inverted. bottles from the cups ofthe conveyor, rights them andplaces them on a second conveyor, traveling toward a. fillei,'or other apparatus; f

For this purpose, the row of boxes -1 tilts to the position in Figure 3, while traveling horizontally a short distance in step with the s'. a sideV elevation ofthe unload-l` the lingers and beprecipitated upright 'upon the chain members 31 ofthe l second conveyor, Figure 2.

Boxes 1 aremounted on shaft 29, which' i may `be squared except at its bearings,;the

by link 27y to a crank 26 on vthe'end of thel main drive shaft, 6.v On the otherend'of shaft 6 is ak gear 16, which may be connected to the driving mechanism. of theV cup conf veyor. Shaft 6 also carries cams 18, 5, and' 82, which perform thevarious operations'in proper sequence, each revolution of shaft 6 completing one ,Cycle 'of operation in step with the cup conveyor, as described below.v

As the boxes 1 tilt backward and are just reaching the position in Figure 3, the fingers 2 are projected toengage the necks of the vinfi verted bottles in cups 3. Under each box, se'- cured to the slidable fingers 2 is a lug 20.

All the lugs are in a row and a bar 19 is in Y' a. position to be behind the row of lngs as thel boxes tilt back and down. Bar 19 iis supported on a pair of rockers 24, Figures 5, 3 and 4, carried on shar23, whichis rotated through a suitable angle by rocker 24,,Figure 4:,- being connected by link 21 to arm 22, Figure1,which is mounted on shaft 8.,l 4Arm 22'has an upward extension 22, Figure 5, which carries a roller 225', bearing on camlS.

As shaft 6 rotates, then, cam 18 causes bar 19 to engage therow of lugs 2O and projectl all the fingers 2 to engage the bottle necks,just as crank 26brings boxes 1 to the position in Figure 3.

But the bottles in the conveyor cups are" .traveling `continuously along, so that the and has a race member 15, Figure 1, 3 and 5,

secured on its endk remotey from rocker, 28 which gives it rotation. v Engaging the race is a pin 14, Figures 1, 3Y and 5, carried by a rocker l12, this kbeing mounted ori1 shaft 13,y .Figure 1, which carries rockerV 11.' The lat-` ter is connected by rod 10 to rocker 7,1whichV is pivoted midway of --its length on rshaft 8 and carries at itsvother end roller 9, bearing on cam 5. By this train, the rotation of drive shaft 6, with its cams 5 and 18 and crank 2G, shifts boxes 1 a short distance horizontally in step with the cup conveyor, while the boxes tilt back and the fingers engage the bottle necks.

Crank 26 and rocker 28 now tilt boxes 1 forward, lifting the bottle necks from the cups and causing the bottles to topple over ont of the fingers and fall upright against guidellO, Figure 2. In this position of the boxes, fingers 2 and lugs 20 drop by gravity, ready to be projected again in the next backward tilting of the boxes. Asindicated in Figure 2 and seen better in Figure 1, the boxes may be of two lengths, the longer boxes reaching to the second row of bottle cupsr ol the cup conveyor, kFigure 5, and the shorter boxes to the first row.

The bottles, in falling upright from the forward tilting boxes, do not fall ii'mnediately on conve or chains 31, fory the box sides would inter ere with their traveling away. Until the boxes tilt backward out of the way, the bottles rest on a bar 30, Figures 2 and 5, indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1, which rises between chains 31, to hold the bottles f out of contact with the chains, as in Figure 2. Bar 3() is supported on the horizontal members of a pair of bellcranks 36 and 37, Figure 1, bein reta-ined in position by pins 558, the vertica members of the bell cranks being connected together by rod 35, this being connected by link to rocker on shaft 8. In-

tegral with rocker is rocker 33', Figures 1 andk 5, which carries roller 33, Figure bearing on cam 32 on drive shaft The ro tation of shaft 6, then, causes bar 30 to rise above chains 31 to receive the bottles and to lower themupon the chains as the boxes tilt backward out of the way. This completes the kcycle of operations, which is repeated in automatic sequence, each revolution of drive shaft 6, unloading a row of inverted bottles, righting them and sending them away on the second conveyor. Y

Guide 40 mounted on hinges 1, Figure 2, so as to yield'outwardly in case bottles get jammed. Further safety devices may be provided, such as constructing linl; 27 or 21, Figures 2 and el, as a tube telescopod over a rod and heldl normally contracted bj; a spring, such as spring 39, or 21.

The invention is not intended to be limited to the form or any of the details shown or dcscribed, but is intended to embrace the'soopcr of the following claims.

What is claimed is: y

1. A bottle unloader, comprising a tiltable box; fingersslidably mounted under the box,r adapted to be projected to engage the neck of an inverted bottle; and means for tilting the box, to cause the bottle to topple out of the fingers and right `itself in the tilting box.

2. A bottle unloader, comprising the strue ture of claim 1; guides for receiving the righted bottle from the tilting box; and a conveyor between the guides, adapted to transport the bottle away.

3. A bottle unloader, comprising the structure of claim 1; a conveyor adapted to transport the bottle away from the box; a release member, adapted to hold the bottle out of contact with the conveyor until the tilting box has receded, then to lower the bottle uponV the conveyor; 'and cam means for performing these actions in sequence.

4. A bottle unloader, comprising a conveyor having cups for containing inverted bottles; a plurality of tiltable boxes in a row beside the conveyor; fingers slidably mounted under the boxes; means for projecting the fingers to engage the necks ofbottles; means for tilting `the boxes, to cause the bottles to topple out of the fingers and rightJ themselves in the boxes; a second conveyor positioned .to receive therow of righted v bottles from the 'tilting boxes; and a bar adapted to hold the row of bottles out of' contact with the conveyor` until the boxes have receded, then to lower them upon the conveyor.

5. A bottle unloader, comprising the structure of claim 4; means for moving the row of `boxes a limited distance in the same direction as the first conveyor, then back; and cam means, operatively connected with the first conveyor, fo-r perforn'iing these act-ions in propersequence and in step with the first conveyor'. i n G. A bottle unloader, comprising a row of boxes mounted on a rotatable and longitudinally shiftable shaft; pairs of fingers slidably mounted under the boxes, each pair having a depending lug; a bar mounted on rocker arms, adapted to engage the lugs and project the fingers; a race on the shiftable shaft; a rocker arm, having a pin inthe race, adapted to shift the shaft and its row of boxes a limit' ed distance to keep step with a carrier of bottles; a rocker arm on the shiftablc shaft, adapted toy rotate the shaft and its row of boxes; a conveyor adapted to receive bottles from the rotating boxes; a bar parallel with the conveyor; rocker arms su porting the4 bar, for causingthe bar to li t the bottles out of contact with the conveyor; a drive shaft and cams and cranks borne bythe shaft, with connecting rods for actuating the rocker arms to perform the said actions in sequence. v f

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ROBERT EUGENE MILLER. 

